It follows her everywhere she goes like a cloud of iridescent bubbles, bursting joyful noise.
Her laugh is loud and free.
Its one of her secret weapons. Something she pours out over a room to bring a feeling of acceptance and love. I've witnessed that laughter wring smiles from the shyest high school girls. Even the cantankerous old man everyone else is afraid to approach, can't resist cracking a leathery smile after hearing her laugh.
Mom's laughter is a bond maker and barrier breaker.
My Dad teases her about it. Rolling his eyes when we hear it crashing in from the next room.
Asking her if that cackling chicken in her throat will ever lay its egg.
She sends him a saucy look and teases him for stealing his jokes from "I Love Lucy."
He retorts.
The laugh is unleashed again.
Yesterday, I picked the boys up from her house. They were all smiles and skipping steps as they left. She had baked them four loaves of their favorite treat in the world. "Special Pan," now amended as the Bear is four years old to "A Kind of Pumpkin Bread." This pumpkin bread really is heavenly. Rich texture, perfect crumb, delicious soul soothing smell. They LOVE this stuff and inhale it at an alarming rate. Those four loaves will last about two days at our house.
As we drove home I asked the boys, "What did Bella make for you today?"
The Bear responded, "Special Pan that is a Kind of Pumpkin Bread! She made it because she WUVS us very much!"
"She does?" I ask, catching his blue eyes in the rear view mirror, "how do you know she loves you?"
The response nearly made me run off the road.
"Because when Bella hugs me, she laughs in my ear and in my hair like this...."
He then proceeded to let out a very long very loud honk. Part goose, part tug boat, part dump truck, lasting about twenty five seconds.
I laughed, "What does that mean?"
"It means," he began with carefully articulated patience, "its the kind of waf (laugh) that says I WUV YOU VERY MUCH."
I teared up.
"You are so very right. Bella's laugh does mean, I love you."
Cubs had been quiet during this exchange, content to wolf down his special pan, but the long honking noise had drawn his attention.
"That was so funny," Cubs sighed, "Bella's laugh makes me so happy."
"Me too" agreed the Bear. Then we heard him say softly, "Its the bestest way to hear 'I love you' in the whole wide world."
